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- Joined: Tue Jul 15, 2014 10:50 pm
Frank wrote:Interesting article on the BBC website:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-51179688
What is the purpose of the modern build designs? Is it really so great for cars? I don't see how all the bendy roads make it that easy and the place seems designed for people to get lost in.
I think developers use bendy roads for two reasons:
1) Is to slow traffic down in order to make it seem quieter and safer. Long straight roads to encourage more speedy driving.
2) To give a sense of place/enclosure. Having roads that bend means that views are closed off - and people tend to like a mix of open and closed views.
There can be a trade off with making new estates as walkable as possible. But its not as bad as it was in the 80s, 90s and early 2000s when cul-de-sacs were very much the norm. Just compare the road layout of say Danescourt (80s) with Radyr Sidings (late 2000s, early 2010s). The latter has roads that bend back and forth a little bit, but none of the cul-de sacs - which in Danescourt mean homes can be hundreds of metres apart on foot, even if they are adjacent as the crow flies. Or compare the Broadlands estate (early 2000s) with the Coity estate (2010s) in Bridgend and you see a similar thing.
So my view is things have improved a fair bit - even if they could go further. I think some academic urban planners, architects, etc., are a bit disconnected from the real world as well.